The present invention relates generally to firearms, in particular those from which cartridges are fed from a magazine while being disposed transversely to the axis of the barrel of the weapon, and are thereafter turned through 90.degree. to positions in which they are aligned with the bore, ready for firing.
The present invention is an improvement in a mechanism for cross-feeding cartridges in weapons of this particular type. In the invention, the magazine extends parallel to the barrel of the weapon, being disposed forwardly of the breech, the rearwardly disposed end of the magazine being open for the purpose of feeding the cartridges.
Guns have been designed with magazines in which the cartridges are arranged transversely of the barrel, and are fed from the magazine, one at a time, into rotatable transfer discs, which are then turned through 90.degree. to align the cartridges longitudinally with the bore of the weapon. This is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,624,241 and 2,773,325, both issued to Hill.
Patents such as those identified above have represented a substantial improvement in firearms design, but nevertheless, have certain deficiencies. In the Hill patents, the design of the weapons there disclosed is such as to raise the possibility of creating dangerous conditions, in that the feed mechanisms disclosed in the patents permit a round to be left inside the feed mechanism without the knowledge of the user.
In the above-designated Hill patents, an important object was to provide a more compact weapon, by positioning a magazine along the receiver parallel to the longitudinal axis of the firearm. This arrangement provided a better balanced weapon and made it possible to operate the gun at close proximity to the ground or to a shooting obstacle at the side of the user, as distinguished from prior art weapons in which the magazine frequently projected downwardly, or laterally from the receiver.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved, safer feeding mechanism for transferring cartridges from the magazine to the breech of the firearm is combined with extension of the magazine forwardly from the breech, rather than rearwardly therefrom as in the case of the Hill patents. In this way, an even more compact firearm is provided, having all the advantages of the Hill firearm, while additionally building into the weapon a design capability for even greater compactness in length, in that the magazine and barrel may be substantially co-extensive, whereas in the Hill patent the barrel would extend forwardly from the breech and the magazine rearwardly therefrom, so that the firearm would of necessity have to be of a length at least equal to the length of the barrel plus the length of the magazine.
It has been heretofore proposed, it may be noted, to provide magazines that will extend parallel to and along the length of the barrel, that is, forwardly from the breech. However, so far as is known, none of these has embodied in a rear feeding magazine an improved feed mechanism, which will cross-feed the rounds safely and surely with minimum possibility of malfunction, into a rotatable transfer disc of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned Hill patents. An important object of the present invention is to provide a firearm that will accomplish this desirable result.
To accomplish the above stated objects, and eliminate the deficiencies of the prior art firearms, my magazine and feed mechanism, summarized briefly, includes a magazine that extends parallel to and in longitudinally contacting relation with the barrel. In accordance with the invention, the magazine is of the rear-feeding type, and cross-feeds cartridges in successively following order into the breech of the firearm, that is, the cartridges are fed into the breech while extending transversely of the barrel.
The invention incorporates a spring-hinged, curved flap on the rear end of the magazine, which imparts a change in direction to the cartridges, leading them to a position in which they are ready for passage into the receiver. The flap, at its distal end, is turned inwardly in such manner as to prevent the cartridge from being fed into the receiver under the pressure of the spring-loaded follower that is conventionally provided in magazines of the general type disclosed in this application. Rather, passage of the round into the breech occurs only when a pair of cartridge injector elements are advanced through slots in the flap, to engage the leading cartridge and against the spring tension of the flap, force the cartridge out of the magazine into a transfer disc mounted in the receiver in accordance with the disclosure of the above-mentioned Hill patents.
The advancement of the injector elements is caused by a cam action exerted against the injector element assembly, exerted by a lateral projection provided upon the actuating arm that is provided in accordance with the disclosure of the above-mentioned Hill patents, for the purpose of rotating the disc. As the arm advances to turn the transfer disc 90.degree. to align the cartridge with the barrel, the injector elements are permitted to retract under the pressure of springs incorporated in the injector element assembly, so that the next following cartridge cannot be fed into the transfer disc. When, however, the disc-actuating arm is retracted following firing of a round, it acts to advance the injector elements so that they force the next cartridge into the transfer disc.